Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel triggered rain, landslides and floods as they neared Mexico's east and west coasts today, killing at least 19 people and forcing thousands to evacuate.
The systems soaked large swaths of the country, causing rivers to swell, flooding streets and damaging bridges as they flanked the coasts, with Manuel in the Pacific and Ingrid in the Gulf of Mexico.
At least 14 people died and more than 2,000 abandoned their homes in the southwestern state of Guerrero, officials said.
Of the 14 fatalities, six people were killed yesterday when their van's driver lost control due to a lack of visibility and a slippery road on their way to the resort city of Acapulco, civil protection official Constantino Gonzales Vargas told AFP.
Six others died in landslides and the collapse of walls in three Guerrero towns. Two more people drowned when they were swept away by a swollen river in the state capital Chilpancingo.
Water rose as high as three feet (one meter) in parts of Acapulco, dragging cars away, while the road leading to the international airport's terminal was closed.
The city's port was shut to navigation and a warning was issued against recreational use of beaches ahead of the hurricane's strong winds. Two men who sailed away were reported missing.
Tropical Storm Manuel was 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the town of Manzanillo in the western state of Colima and moving northwest at 10 miles (15 kilometers) per hour, posing a risk of flash floods and mudslides, the US National Hurricane Center said in an 1800 GMT advisory.
Manuel was expected to cross the coast "soon" and move inland over southwestern Mexico late today and tomorrow, the Miami-based center said.
The storm's top winds weakened slightly to 65 mph (100 kph) and were expected to slowly weaken further.
As Hurricane Ingrid crept toward the east coast, three people, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in a landslide in Tlatlauquitec, a mountain town in the central state of Puebla.
In the central state of Hidalgo, a nurse and her driver drowned when their car was swept away by a swollen river as they headed to a mountain area heavily affected by days of rain, civil protection officials said.
The hurricane already forced the evacuation of 6,000 people in the east coast state of Veracruz after two rivers overflowed their banks.
At least 20 bridges were damaged during rains in the north of the state that cut off 71 communities, authorities said.
